Former NBC Chief to FBN: no IPO for NBC

Former NBC Chairman and CEO Bob Wright stopped by our studios in midtown Manhattan today to tackle two big subjects: 1) fighting to get Autism coverage shoe-horned into universal healthcare bills and 2) to talk about whether now is really the optimum time to sell all or a portion of NBC, the once super-stellar, number one television network.

I'll get to his efforts for Autism in a moment but first to NBC. My biggest question: aren't you supposed to "sell high"??? If GE gives operating control to Comcast for a chunk of money and a few assets NOW, aren't they selling low?  NBC isn't the number-one power house it used to be. It's now 4th with no top-ten prime-time hits.  There's also the question of whether Vivendi, (from whom NBC/GE bought Universal) which still has a 20% stake, could force an IPO. Bob's newsmaking comments are in the clip below.

As for Autism, Bob's grandson was diagnosed with Autism several years ago. The second that happened, Bob was on a mission to get more attention and healthcare dollars funnelled to this awful sentence. He founded "Autism Speaks" to bring ideas and information and lobbying efforts across the nation together.

New numbers out are stunning: 1 in 91 American children (1 in 58 boys) will be diagnosed with Autism yet few if any private health insurers will cover any behavioral therapies for it.   He's fighting hard and successfully to get it covered in the healthcare bills circling Washington DC now.

You may not know anyone with Autism, but Wright says by getting those who have it covered, it'll ultimately save everyone money in the long run. Listen to his reasoning below.